Stand firm on your Rock, Baby Girl

My last baby is off to Kindergarten, and I am an excited and nervous ball of mush. My only girl and I have to send her off into the world; I know the trials and tribulations that come along with playing the role of a female today and I want to wrap her up in bubble wrap for the rest of her life. I know, whoa Mama, land your helicopter and give the girl some room to breathe won’t you!

The other day the future graduating class of 2031 (say what?!?!) was invited to take a picture in front of the famous rock at the high school. The rock is your typical suburbia tradition that gets painted over the years for various reasons and celebrations. For this particular moment, the rock was painted in our traditional maroon, white, and black adorned with our pirate mascot and the year 2031.

It came time for the chaotic swirl of running kindergarteners to settle by the rock for their picture debut. I stood back a bit as some parents were pointing and directing their children where to sit or stand. There were a few vying for the front and center so their little cupcake wouldn’t be missed in the picture. I felt the urge to jump in and navigate my own child, but I resisted proving to myself I can let go of control.

My little Anna Banana went straight for the rock. She wanted a place on top of it and there were about four boys already positioned on the boulder. Anna clawed her way up as kids were stumbling all over each other finding their spots. She found a small area on the right side of the rock and planted her hands down and started working out her core muscles so she wouldn’t fall off. She was going to die before letting go. I quietly said in my head, “That’s right, baby girl, you fight for your spot on that rock. Don’t give in. You have a place on the rock just as much as any of those boys, or anyone for that matter.”

Anna fell off a few times during the chaos of kids claiming their spots and she crawled right back up. Her facial expressions threw off some shade to let a few kids know she was displeased and she was not moving. She was pushed, stepped on, and almost lost a few fingers as Nike shoes smashed her hand while kids fought it out. My girl made it through, the time came for the picture, and she smiled proudly as it was taken.

She fought, she overcame, and she conquered. YES, SHE DID!

Stand firm on the rock, my love.

Stand firm on the rock of confidence. You have to believe in yourself. It is non-negotiable.

Stand firm on the rock and fight for your place. You belong there.

Stand firm on the rock of strength. You have it. It is ingrained in your bones.

Stand firm on the rock of perseverance. You WILL fall off and you will get right back up.

Stand firm on the rock of grace. Give it out generously even when people step all over you.

Stand firm on the rock of beauty. You see, my angel, it is within you just as much as it is on the outside.

Stand firm on the rock of kindness. You fight for your position and be nice without being a pushover.

Stand firm on the rock of faith. As long as you try, and you believe in your very core, eventually something will come to fruition. Sometimes in ways, you will never expect.

Stand firm on the rock of charm. You may disapprove of things but do it with tenacity and an alluring spirit.

Stand firm on the rock of courage. Be fearless, Banana. Adventure awaits you. Don’t miss out because fear lied to you.

Stand firm on the rock of forgiveness. Regardless if it hurts. Someone will fail you at some point in your life. I know. I’ve experienced it. Never the less, I had to forgive because I was the one living in a prison, not them. Forgive, let go, and find empathy. This does not allow a pass. Define your boundaries. The person who hurt you is suffering far worse than you are. Trust me.

Most importantly, stand firm on the rock of love. Dish it out freely. Unlimited supply. The world needs it desperately.

Write your name on the rock. Stand firm. Fight hard. It is your Rock.

You got this, girl.

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Danielle is a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, worker bee, lover, warrior, and occasionally a smarty-pants. She has climbed huge mountains in life – abuse, addiction, depression, and self-loathing. These mountains haven’t defined her but inspired her to turn them into life-changing molehills. Throughout life, she continuously rewrites every bad ending into hope-inspiring cheesy flicks. She loves being a part of helping people take their next step toward God in many ways and ways unseen in the future. She sometimes is “Super Mom”, and sometimes she sucks at it, and enjoys helping three kids take their next step toward being decent life-giving world changers. She loves all things Cleveland after traveling the world and realizing the grass is green everywhere. Danielle loves challenging herself with crazy ideas like running half marathons, pretending to be a blogger and a writer, and climbing big mountains in Africa. She is a just a girl, with some ridiculous dreams, stumbling through this thing we call life by the grace of God.